A Tale of Souls and Swords: Courage Unbound
by wesleykim829
Summary: The whole world is searching for the cursed sword. One of those is a mysterious young man, from a mysterious far off place. But his quest will throw everything and anything to stop him. To survive, our hero will have to topple great challenges, forge new alliances, and use the unbound courage that lies within him. Every corner, every shadow, every narrow crevice, lies a great evil.
1. Rude Awakening

Chapter 1 A Tale of Souls and Swords: Courage Unbound

The city was set ablaze, the beautiful structures, ruined, and the streets were dead. And amidst this chaos, lay a young, small man. The man wore a dark green tunic with chainmail underneath. He had a gauntlet on his left arm, and wore light brown long pants and knee-high boots. His hair was dark blonde and he sported a long green cap. Another thing he sported were a pair of pointed ears. He also carried a one-handed sword and an ornate shield. And he was lying down on the ground, with the burning building on his right. The man's eyes were starting to twitch open, feeling the heat and sensing the light from the fire. When the man opened his eyes, he immediately shut them tight. The brightness and heat might as well have melted his vision. The man then rolled to the side so he could lie on his back. Soon realizing that was a big mistake with his weapon and shield on said back. So he then continued rolling to his left to avoid the heat and sparks until he finally stopped to lay on his right side. He then took a deep breath, several deep breaths in fact. But then the man winced and curled up. He felt a sharp, stinging pain on his lower right abdomen. And the reason why was clearly visible. There was small, thin splinter that had bored its way in. The man then stopped curling up but couldn't find the energy to pick himself up. He then said one thing,

"What I would give to still be asleep right about now." But then, loud screeching and growling came from the streets behind the man, and they were growing louder and louder. The man knew that if he stayed here, he'd be very dead. So he finally found the strength to pick himself up from the dirty ground and started to walk in the opposite direction from the unpleasant noises.

 _I'll have to deal with this splinter later._ The man thought to himself. _If I can find some shelter that is hidden and cool, I can be safe from these monsters._ And so the young man trudged along, thankfully the growls had dimmed down. _Whatever's keeping those monsters off of me is not gonna last long. I need to find someplace to hide._ The man thought, "AHHGGG!" The man grunted, _This splinter's getting worse. Maybe I should find someone to help me, fast._ The man had walked through the empty streets for about a quarter hour before he finally found something that could help him.

 _Oh great. A giant building. And it's intact._ The man thought. He was standing in front of a large, cathedral like building. It had two towers at the front and it seemed to have two stories to it. The front had two massive wooden doors that looked heavy. They looked very heavy. _Oh, come on. I have to deal with these big doors but I also have to deal with the stairs too?_ The man complained in his mind. He then walked up the steps, which is easier said than done with a splinter through one's side. With every step, the man winced in pain. He could feel the tiny splinter move around the injury, scraping off the flesh and potentially moving deeper in. The man finally reached the giant wooden doors, deciding to lean against them for a short while before moving inside. Unfortunately, the urgency of the current situation wouldn't have allowed it, for the screeching came back.

 _Oh, okay. That's how you want to play the game?_ The man thought, _Fine then, just try and catch me._ He silently challenged. He then placed all his strength into his arms as he attempted to open the massive doors. Growling and cringing at the pain from the splinter and from the weight of the doors. With all his strength, the doors merely a few inches. The man then changed priorities and used his entire body to push at only one of the doors. This time the door moved slightly more easily, yet it was not enough. He still had more to go before he could even squeeze his way through. But then, the man looked back, and what he saw, made his blood run cold, and his body, wet with sweat. He saw massive shadows, moving very quickly along the wall. And it did not look human.

 _Damn it!_ The man cursed internally. _This is bad!"_ The small gap between the doors, wasn't growing any bigger, and the man felt his strength fade quickly. The man then attempted to squeeze his way through the tiny gap. He felt himself getting stuck, and he immediately pulled himself out. He then removed his shield and scabbard from his back and slid them through the gap. Once that was done, the man had another go at squeezing through the doors. He felt he was moving through much more easily, but the gap still wasn't big enough.

"Oh, come on!" The man shouted out. _Damnit, why did I do that?"_ He asked himself. _Well, I've got nothing to lose now!"_ He thought as he then attempted to push the door some more. Somehow, the noises and shadows haven't gotten any closer, giving the man some time to widen the gap. When he was done, he quickly rushed through the doors and quickly attempted to close the door. It was no easier than when he was opening it.

 _What's keeping those things off of me?_ The man asked as he finally closed the massive doors. _Well, whoever- or whatever's holding them off is still alright._ The man then turned to see what building he just entered. There were bookshelves everywhere. Rows and rows of tables filled the first floor. There was a spiral staircase in the back leading to the second floor. The second floor consisted of long balcony like structures on all sides, with bridges connecting the two long sides.

 _It's a library._ The man confirmed with himself. _I thought this was a shrine._ His then interrupted his own thoughts as he tried to find something.

 _I gotta find something to block that door._ He thought. The man walked up to a table and attempted to pull it towards the two doors that caused him so much trouble just mere moments before. The man then noticed that the ceiling had a rather massive hole. He quickly ignored it and continued to slowly pull his table. Once the table was near the doors, the man then flipped the table at the shorter edge, laying it on the door like a ladder.

 _Let's just hope that'll be enough for the night._ The man thought. He then turned to another table, with multiple chairs nearby. He sat down at the chair nearest to said table. Then, he attended to his wound. He then pinched the wound trying to squeeze the splinter out. Needless to say, it was very painful. The man felt the splinter rubbing and poking against the sides of the wound. He cringed at every sensation, but he pushed through. Finally, the man could see the splinter more clearly. But he knew that removing it now would result in more blood loss than he can afford. The man then turned to find anything that could be used as a bandage. That's when he noticed several small bones on a small plate on the table next to him. The man stood up and trudged his way to said table. When he arrived, the man saw that the bones were rather freshly picked. And the plate was still rather greasy, too much grease if it wasn't fresh.

"What the..." The man said. But then, he heard something, something akin to the flapping of large wings. "What!?" He looked up at the hole in the ceiling and saw something dark zip by. The man then reached for his back to unsheathe his weapon and shield. Only to realize that his weapons were on the table near the door. He hadn't picked them up when he was blocking the door. The man then ran towards them, ignoring the searing pain and slide on the ground to quickly grab his weapons. He placed his scabbard on his back and kept his shield on his right hand. The man then finally unsheathed his sword, a one-handed, blue sword, and he enter a combat stance. And just in time too, as something crashed through the ceiling hole. It had bright, orange, and scaly skin, a shark-like body and a head like that of an iguana. It stood on two legs and wore a dark brown armor and looked to be 6 feet tall. It also wielded two duel axes.

"Two axes, huh?" The man said, "Well, come on then. Come and get me, lizard-man!" He yelled. The creature snarled and glared its teeth, before charging at the man with an unsettling speed. The man held his ground and held up his shield to cover his face, as the creature jumped up and brought its two axes down on the man. The man was knocked down as the hard blow was too much for his weak legs. The creature then bombarded the man with his axes as the man desperately tried to counter through the blows. The creature then jumped up again, but this time, he expanded what appeared to be large, feathered wings. The man saw what was happening and rolled to his left. The creature then dive-bombed to where the man was before hitting its snout on the hard, wooden floor, just missing the man and breaking its own nose. The creature screeched in pain as it grabbed the bleeding nose, dropping both of its axes. The man then ran with all his strength, and with sword in hand, gored the creature in its abdomen. It shrieked and tried to slash at its would-be killer. The man lost his grip on his sword as he narrowly avoided the sharp claws. The man was quick in his dodges, but his injury caught up to him, and he almost immediately lost his mobility. And unfortunately for the man, the creature caught on. A quick, but strong slash cut through the man's chest. He screamed in pain, as he grabbed his wound. The man was breathing heavily, and he felt his blood run through his fingers. The creature then laughed as its mouth twisted, as if it was smirking. The man winced as he eyed his sword, still lodged in the monster.

 _It's all or nothing!_ The man said to himself. He then charged at the monster before yanking out his sword. The creature was too hopelessly confused to react or even comprehend what was happening. But before he could understand what was happening, the man swiftly stabbed the stomach of the creature, before swiftly yanking it out again. The creature screeched in pain, grabbing its stomach where blood was spilling through its finger tips. It then kneeled down, before looking up, seeing the man, standing triumphantly in front of it. The monster snarled, glaring its teeth while glaring into the eyes of this, this boy. But then the man pulled his sword behind his head. He then looked into the eyes of the monster, filled with anger and hate at him. But that didn't stop the man from forming one, small smile on his face.

"Sorry, but I'm not dying today." The man said, before swiftly slitting the throat of the monster. As blood spilled from the cut, the creature took one last breath, before gagging on its own blood, and gazing at what killed it. The creature then growled through the blood before finally collapsing with its eyes looking forward, into nothingness. The man took a large breath, taking the now tainted air with one large sigh, before dropping his sword and shield, and collapse along with the now dead lizard-man. He laid on the wooden ground, struggling to keep his eyes open, but eventually, his strength left him, and he shut his eyes before his vision turned black with emptiness.

4


	2. The Strange Girl

Chapter 2 A Tale of Souls and Swords: Courage Unbound

The man felt his eyes burning with fatigue. His vision was too blurry for him to see anything properly. The man rubbed his eyes with his palms as he then tried to sit upright. But then he noticed his injuries were much less painful. He then started to look around him. He saw that he was in a rather small room with a table and bench at one side and a small doorway on the other. There were large planks of wood used as a replacement for the now destroyed walls. And that's when he noticed a young girl wearing a brown, ragged hood cape, and what looked to be a short, gothic dress.

"So, how's your splinter?" She asked softly, she sounded young and silky. The man was slightly surprised. _Wow, that was blunt. Not even a hello._ The man then cleared his throat as he looked down to see his body. His vision cleared as he saw that his entire upper half was completely bandaged. He then sighed with relief before lying down, finally feeling relaxed after what could have been hours. "Hey, did you listen?" The girl asked again. The man snapped out of his relaxation and looked at the girl.

"I feel much better." The man said. The girl simply turned around, not saying anything. "Thank you."

"No need to." The girl said, "I just felt that I should reward you for getting rid of that lizard-man in my library." The man turned his body around to place his feet over the side of the small bed he was on. The girl than ran lightly towards him, placing her hand on his chest. "What are you doing?" She asked, "Your wounds have barely healed. I just placed these bandages on you."

"Sorry, I just felt the need to get up." The man said. The girl took one large sigh before laying the man down. "Anyway, how long have you been here?" He then asks.

"About 5 hours, maybe 6." She answered, "Why did you ask?"

"Because we may have to leave, soon." The man firmly said. The girl tilted her head, _Really?_ She thought. She then turned around and walked to another bed right beside the man.

"And leave to where?" She then demanded, still keeping her soft voice intact. "To the burning city and its hordes of monsters?"

"No, to the nearest settlement." The man answered. "Even a small camp would do."

"Why the hell do we have to leave now?"

"Because, and this may sound just plain stupid, but you've been here too long." The man answered. The girl then huffed, as she then laid down on her bed.

"And why is that a bad thing?" She inquired. The man then sat up again, this time sitting forward.

"You being undiscovered that long is not a good sign." He states, "I don't know whether it's luck or a good hiding spot, but nothing lasts forever." The girl simply turns her body away from the man. The man sighed heavily before laying down on his own bed.

"Fine." The man's ears perked.

"What?" The man asked. He saw that the girl had turned her body towards him, so he could see her face covered under the dirty hood.

"We'll go once we've rested." The girl said, before taking her hood off. Underneath that sack of torn and dirty cloth revealed a girl with dark, red hair, styled in a spiral pigtail. Her eyes were a dark, crimson and her face was young and prim. The man smiled as he relaxed on the bed and closed his eyes. Before shooting them back open for one final question.

"Hey, I don't think we ever got out names out. What's your name?" The girl at first said nothing, she let out, merely a single, soft sigh. But then, she looked at the man's eyes, and spoke.  
"Amy," She answered, her voice now even softer than before. "My name is Amy Sorel." The man grinned slightly before returning the gaze to Amy and saying, "My name's Link." Amy smirked before turning around and closing her eyes.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Link." Amy said, before closing her eyes, as the temptation and fatigue slowly made her drift into sleep.

2


	3. The Unsafe House

Chapter 3 A Tale of Souls and Swords: Courage Unbound

Amy was lying on her bed, sleeping rather soundly for what has just transpired. Link on the other hand, was fully awake. His wounds wouldn't have allowed him to sleep, regardless. He didn't want to stay on the bed, but he couldn't really walk around either. _Well, a few baby steps never hurt anyone._ Link thought. _But I'd better start soon._ Link then stood up, keeping his balance with the bed. His legs were still shaking, and his breathing was hoarse. He was starting to cough rather harshly. And the smoke wasn't helping. _Okay, back to the bed with you, Link._ Link then sat down on his bed as he looked around to find his garments. His tunic and pants were strung across the ground, being very dirty and messy. Link sighed as he lied down. But he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes. Not that it would have mattered, as Link immediately heard something massive land nearby, right on top of what sounded like the ceiling. Link wasn't the only one that heard, as Amy shot up from her bed and almost immediately ran to the ground, ripping the floorboard off and grabbing a very ornate looking rapier. She then picked up Link's sword, struggling as the apparent heaviness of it. _Huh, I never had that much trouble holding the Master Sword. Whatever, it doesn't matter now. I better get my tunic._ Link thought, before instantly running towards his tunic and quickly dressed. When Link was done, Amy tossed Link's weapon at his feet. Wasting no time, Link picked up his sword and ran to his shield. But he was still missing his cap. "Hey, Amy?"

"What is it?" Amy cautiously asked.

"Where did you put my cap?" Link requested. Amy was dumbfounded. But she answered.

"It's in the drawer next to your bed." She quickly answered, Link then instantly ran towards said drawer. "But why would you need that cap, anyway? Wouldn't it just get in the way of your vision?"

"It's not just any old cap, Amy!" Link yelled out as he rummaged through the piles of random junk before finally find his cap and placing it on his head. "Come on, Amy. We are leaving!"

"Don't rush, you don't even know how you got in, let alone out." Amy replied. Link stopped and waited, before continuing.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lead the way!" Link ordered. Amy sighed before immediately dashing towards the wall to the right of the beds, pushing a random brick, causing a portion of the wall to lower itself.

"I know a shortcut." Amy added before crouching and walking quickly out. Link quickly followed suit and followed. The actual passage that lead to the outer rooms was surprisingly long and narrow, and it was made of thin wood. Then the two survivors heard a large bang, like that of metal crashing down on hard wood. Amy looked up to try and pinpoint the noise before looking back, behind Link. And what she was left her stunned. The roof of her safe-house collapsed as two massive lizard-men fell down, dead from the ferocity of whatever threw them down. _Link was right, they're here!_ Amy internally shouted. She then drew her weapon out in a battle stance, or at least attempted to, given that the tight spacing of the corridor was akin to that of a large vent.

"Damnit, I can't fight here." Amy stated. Link turned his head to face behind him before looking back at Amy.

"You continue forward." Link said, Amy looked confused, before noticing Link's right hand reaching for his shield. Amy placed a small, but sly smirk on her face, before saying, "You better not make all my stitching efforts worthless." She said, "I'm not going through all that trouble again." Link chuckled before turning his body around, facing the safe-house. Holding his shield up in front of him, aiming the ornate pattern at whatever was going to charge at them. Link was just about to unsheathe his sword before a short, stubby, yet rabid humanoid thing ran, flailing two small axes. The force of its swings actually broke and scraped the corners yet keeping its axes very sharp. But that was only when it was outside. When it tried to flail its axes around, they quickly got themselves stuck. By the time it realized, something grabbed its head and squished it like it was a soft, wet towel. Link's eyes widened at the surprising brutality of what transpired, as something massive started to stomp its way through the corridor. This new threat was practically built with muscle, and it was nearly twice to size of Link. And it was using its strengths to great use, as it was plowing through the tiny passage. The thin wood shattered at the strength of this giant. But it seemed to be no smarter than the previous attacker. It only flailed its arms around, rabidly, only being different with it being able to break down the long, narrow passage. Link took a split-second to look behind him, to try and find Amy. However, he sees that Amy has been able to make it out of the passage, motioning her hand for Link to move forward. Link smiled before turning 180 degrees and running. Running as best as he could with the low ceiling of the passage. He was lucky that his shield didn't scrap off the side of the walls, slowing him down. It didn't take long for Link to reach the end, before lunging forward, in front of Amy. Link immediately picked himself up when Amy grabbed his sleeve, yanking him away from the opening, just as a large, bulky arm burst out, grabbing at thin air. Link saw how close he was to sharing the same fate as the headless man.

"Thanks, that thing almost got me!" Link yelled out.

"That was lucky!" Amy yelled before dashing away. Link followed, running away from the safe-house entrance and the giant's hand. The walls then ruptured, Amy and Link didn't even need to look behind them in order to know what was now chasing them. The ground nearly shook from the steps of the giant. Amy and Link found themselves in the main library, looking considerably worse off than when Link last saw it. Link then saw the dead body of the lizard-man he had previously slain. And a sudden realization struck.

"Amy, you should have gotten rid of that dead lizard!" Link shouted as his head twitched, looking for a possible escape option.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that they found us because of the thing _YOU_ killed was left in _MY_ library?" Amy barked out. Link didn't stop looking for another option but he did reply, "Partially. You could have placed the body somewhere outside."

"You blocked off the massive doors!" Amy shouted back, emphasizing the word _massive_.

"Alright, you got me there!" Link yelled out. But before this argument could continue, the giant caught up to them, barging through the tall bookshelves, knocking several of them like giant, hollow dominos. "Ah, looks like we'll have to fight this thing off!" Link stated before unsheathing his sword. Amy swung her sword delicately, making distinct swipes with the needle like blade. Subtly has been thrown out the window now, the two survivors are now going to have to fight their way out of the city! "You ready?" Link shouted.

"Are you?" Amy yelled back. The two of them readied their respective weapons, before finally jumping forward, towards the massive beast.

3


	4. The Unforgiving City

Chapter 4 A Tale of Souls and Swords: Courage Unbound

The giant charged forward, while Link and Amy jumped up and landed on the giant's shoulders. The two then stabbed their weapons right at the shoulder blades, simultaneously. Link at the left, and Amy at the right. The beast roared as it tried to shake off its attackers. Link held on to his sword, hoping that the beast would end up damaging the arm more, either paralyzing it or removing it completely. However, Amy decided to release her weapon and fall to the ground. She then stabbed the beast just above the calf and below the thigh. The rapier could be seen impaling through the knee. The beast continued to roar in pain. It then kicked forward, completely missing Amy, but making her lose her grip on her rapier. Link pulled his sword out of the shoulder blade and swung at the giant's head. He managed to cut the giant's neck at the left. But that would be the only injury he could inflict, as the giant thrashed its entire upper body. Link couldn't hold on and he flew off, hitting the wall with his back. When Link landed on the ground, he felt an immense, throbbing pain, as he held his back. Amy saw everything that happened, yet she noticed that Link's weapon and shield had all landed near her position. She then dashed towards them, picking them up. However, the weight of the object slowed her down, immensely.

 _How can Link ever fight with these?_ She internally complained. She then dropped the shield and ran with the sword, cocked behind her head. She managed to skewer the giant at the stomach, as it was too preoccupied with the thing on its right leg. It instantly grabbed Amy and threw across the room, hitting the wall before crumbling to the floor, completely out cold. Link saw the entire moment before he rose up and limped his way towards the giant. The giant didn't turn to face him as he had both of the survivor's weapons in his body, so Link eyed the area where Amy had gored his blade and quickly thought of a plan. Link then dashed, adrenaline coursing through his body, he quickly changed the course of his run to the side of the giant. But before the giant could attempt to grab him, or even fathom what it was witnessing, Link yanked his sword out of the giant's stomach, spilling some strange, black fluid from the wound.

 _It's all or nothing!_ Link internally shouted, before boosting himself with the still intact knee of the giant, and ramming the sword though the back of its neck, finally ending its rampage. Link then huffed out a sigh that he felt he was hold for far too long, before rushing towards the downed Amy, shaking her roughly enough as wake her back into consciousness, but also soft enough as to not harm her even more than she was.

"Amy..." Link softly whispered, "Come on, Amy. You have to wake up! Please!" Link's eyes lit up when he heard Amy groan and grumble, before hacking up some harsh coughs. She then pushed herself up, with Link helping of course, until she finally found herself sitting upright. _Well, that's definitely a start._ Link thought. _But that's gonna have to change soon._ "Thank the Goddess that you're alright." Link exclaimed, "Think you'll be good enough to go?" Link asked, trying hard not to sound pushy.

"I just had my whole thrown against a stone wall, but other than that, my bones are somewhat intact. I'll let you be the judge." Amy answered coldly, stretching her lower back while she was at it. _Nice to see that her charm is still intact as well._ Link said to himself, smiling. But his smile didn't stay on his face for long. His face quickly turned stoic and serious.

"We gotta move though." Link stated, "Do you need any help?" He asked. Amy looked rather irritated at the question, before immediately winching in pain.

"I can walk just fine, thank you very much." Amy said through gritting teeth. She then started to cough some more before trying to stand up. "Where's my rapier?" She asked before nearly stumbling down. Thankfully, Amy used the walls to keep her steady, and Link was helping as well.

"Whoa, whoa. Easy there." Link said. "Your rapier's still in that giant's knee." Amy then limped, with Link at her side, towards the giant, finding her unique weapon and sliding it out of the wound. She swiped off whatever fluid covered her rapier, spinning it around with high finesse before finally placing it on her hip.

"Well," Amy started, "Shall we leave?"

"Yes we shall." Link said. Amy then dashed towards the staircase. Link tailed closely. When the two of them finally reached the second floor, Amy continued to run towards a wall directly underneath a hole in the ceiling. The wall was rough and dry, and filled with cracks and splinters. Both survivors saw this, but they also heard the massive doors rattle like a simple toy box. _Those doors were massive and heavy!_ Link thought. _How could something have that much power._ The table was knocked down from whatever force was behind the doors.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Amy said as she grabbed hold of the wall and started to climb up. Link huffed, hesitating for a split second, but in that split second, something suddenly burst through the front doors. Something with obvious, yet terrifying strength. Link didn't need to see it or turn his head to know the danger, so he quickly rushed up the wall, feeling like he was running on it before we grabbed hold of the edge. Before Link could lift himself up, Amy grabbed the back cut of his tunic and yanked him up. With Link up on rood, he immediately searched for the best route to escape, Amy did the same. And both of them found the same answer.

"Amy, you see those buildings just in front of us?" Link asked.

"Yes." Amy said, "I'm assuming that you want us to use the roofs to avoid whatever's on the ground?"

"Yeah," Link casually said, "Is there something wrong?" Amy then pointed at said buildings, not changing her expression.

"Yes. Those buildings are nearly 20 meters away." She bluntly points out. "How do you expect us to only travel by roof?" Amy's voice never raised, but Link could tell the pressure exuding from her. Yet Link didn't buckle, as he then points at one of the two towers.

"First we'll climb the left-hand tower and I'll explain after we do." Link calmly said, keeping his expression light as he then ran up the steeply sloped roof. The flames of the surrounding buildings made the air dry, the roof was less slippery than it could have been. But then, one of the roof tiles slipped from underneath his sole. He starts to fall, as he shoots out his arms to try and grab hold of the roof tiles. Fortunately, Link succeeds in clinging to the roof. As he pants, in an attempt to calm his racing heart and thumping pulse, he looks down at Amy, who was looking down, shaking her head, like that of an embarrassed parent. "Hey!" Link shouted out, unsettled and upset at Amy's apathetic attitude.

"I'm curious, are you always this rash?" Amy said, coldly. "This is exactly what happens when you run up something this steep."

"Yeah, I should have known." Link shouted back, "But still, couldn't you at least pretend to be a little more concerned about my being alive?"

"Oh you mean I should keep you in my sights constantly? To the point of me watching your every step, and you waiting for my permission to do anything?"

"Okay, okay." Link softly uttered, groaning at the rather terrible image Amy concocted in his head. "I didn't mean it like that." Amy smirked, but only for a split second, _Now, to think of an actually plan of escape. We could just get on the ground, dash towards the buildings and then use the roofs, but if we get attacked on the way. We can take on a few of those creatures, but if we get swarmed, then we'll-_

"Hey, Amy!" Link yelled out, bluntly interrupting Amy's thoughts. The following words were expect by Link.

"What!" Amy yelled out, still keeping her voice soft and silky.

"I've got something to help us get up and across!" Link shouted, his voice had gained a sense of excitement, as if he gained some promise of a great gift. Amy noticed, but decided to stay where she was. She placed a hand on her hip, Link took the gesture as a sign of Amy's attention. "I have this thing called the Clawshot," He continued, "It works like a..." Link's train of thought stopped, he realized he never once explained the Clawshot to anyone, as people of his home know very well what a Clawshot was. So he planned something a little different. "Here, I'll show you." Link shouted. He then aimed his Clawshot at the building they were going to use to escape. However all Amy could see Link pointing something attached to his arm. But then, Link fired the Clawshot, and from it was a long chain that stretched for what seemed like infinity, until it hit the ledge of the building. On the end of the chain was a three-pronged claw that was open before it clasped down, grabbing the edge. Amy was able to see where Link was heading with this plan, it was definitely more convenient than his previous plan. Before long, the claw of the Clawshot opened once more, letting go of the ledge, as the chain came whizzing back into place. Link then started to slide down from where he was, stay weary of his balance and making sure he wasn't going too fast. When he got close to Amy, he slowed his momentum down to a near halt. When he finally arrived, without any words, Link handed Amy a second Clawshot.

"Now, once you put in on your hand, you just press the trigger on the handle. If you miss, press the other trigger." Link explained, worried he would have to explain to Amy what a trigger was. Fortunately for him, Amy quickly caught on how to use the strange machine. "Now, bit of fair warning," Link said, Amy turned to face him, motioning him to go on. "You have to aim for a ledge, or metal grate. It can't grab the walls." After the warning, Link aimed his Clawshot at the same building he grabbed on to before. This time, when the claw grasped the ledge, Link let himself be pulled by the chain. The speed of the movement was shockingly fast, it left Amy confused and befuddled. Link didn't even have an arch to his move, he simply went straight towards the ledge.

"You ready, Amy?" Link shouted back. Amy shook off her confusion as she attempted to aim her Clawshot, but with the lack of any aid for aiming, she couldn't bring herself to fire. When she finally did, the claw ended up hitting the wall with a slight chink. She pressed what she assumed was the retraction trigger, only to be surprised at the speed of the chain. It didn't even scrape the ground, and the only noise was the chains entering the gauntlet. _This- this machine..._ Amy thought, a part of her contemplated whether or not to just keep the strange thing, it might be useful for her later.

"AMY, WATCH OUT!" Link shouted, breaking Amy's train of thought before she turned around to see whatever was behind her. There stood a giant, not as big as the one Link previously slain, but it was definitely more armored. This armored goliath had a unnaturally massive sword that looked more like an elongated meat cleaver, it probably functioned like one too. The goliath raised its giant meat cleaver in motion to crush Amy. Amy simply dodged to her right, as the goliath brought down its weapon. However, the area where the goliath brought down its meat cleaver started to crack before completely collapsing. The whole thing happened very quickly, but for Amy, time seemed to slow itself down, as if to either mock or mourn her imminent death. That is, if Amy **had** accepted her death. In that moment, she raised her Clawshot, and fired. Whether it was adrenaline, skill, or dumb luck, it didn't matter, as the claw managed to grab the ledge. Amy then retracted the chain, pulling her up so quickly, she nearly caught whiplash. And she almost crashed onto the ledge. But Amy then placed her legs in front of her, so her feet could be the ones to feel the impact, instead of her head. She landed on her feet, before slipping off and grabbing the ledge. Link bolted towards Amy, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. His face expressed that of relief and amazement.

"I've never seen anyone use the Clawshot so quickly like that!" Link said, smiling like an excited child.

"Well, let's just say I'm full of surprises." Amy said, before running along the roofs, with Link tailing her closely behind. The two survivors should hope that their path leads them to the edge of this flaming city, or else that Goliath will be the best case scenario for them.

5


End file.
